“We know that words cannot move mountains, but they can move the multitude; and men are more ready to fight and die for a word than for anything else. Words shape thought, stir feeling, and beget action; they kill and revive, corrupt and cure. The "men-of-words"- priests, prophets, intellectuals- have played a more decisive role in history than military leaders, statesmen, and businessmen.” KnowsMenFeelingsActionMovingDiesFightingLeaderRolesSocietyMilitaryHe ManReadyShapesMountainCuresProphetPriestsMultitudesBusinessmanStatesmenBegetsReviveMove MountainsMilitary Leader Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer Source: Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer
“Simply put, we have to be smart about how we use our power. Not because we have less of it indeed, the might of our military, the size of our economy, the influence of our diplomacy, and the creative energy of our people remain unrivaled. No, it's because as the world has changed, so too have the levers of power that can most effectively shape international affairs.” PeopleWorldUseMightEnergyEconomyCreativeInfluenceMilitaryChangedShapesSmartAffairInternationalSizeDiplomacyBeing SmartLeversCreative EnergyInternational Affairs Author:Hillary Clinton
“Marx was wrong: It is not only the 'means of production' that shape societies, but the means of destruction. In our own time, the costs of war, or just war readiness, are daunting. ... The resulting cost squeeze has led to a new type of society, perhaps best terms a 'depleted' state, in which the military has drained reources from all other social functions.” MeanWarStatesSocialTermMilitaryTypeCostShapesDestructionFunctionProductionsReadinessDrainedJust WarCost Of War Author:Barbara Ehrenreich
“I realized that both the military and religious orders depend on discipline to shape people - which routine does, in a lot of ways.” PeopleWayDoeOrderReligiousMilitaryDependsDisciplineShapesI RealizedRoutine Author:Kit Reed
“As we watch the world today, sometimes it seems that we`re at the mercy of events instead of shaping events. And a strong America`s essential to shape events, and a strong America, by the way, depends on a strong military.” WorldWaySometimesSeemsTodayAmericaStrongWatchesMilitaryEventsDependsShapesEssentialsMercyWorld TodayStrong America Author:Mitt Romney
“The President? Hmmm, I wonder who that might be? Could it be, perhaps, the sitting two-term incumbent of the same party holding its convention? The person whose economic and military policies shape the environment the next president will deal with? As best I can tell, in the tens of thousands of words making up the combined remarks of John McCain, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and Lindsay Graham, the Name That Must Not Be Uttered appeared exactly once.” PersonsI CanTwoMightNextNamesPresidentTermDealsPartyWonderEnvironmentEconomicMilitaryPolicyShapesSittingConventionsMikeRemarksRomneyMccainPalinMaking UpIncumbentsHmmmRudy Author:James Fallows
“I would say that I have been consistent in my broad view of how American power should be deployed, and the view that we underestimate our power when we restrict it to just our military power. We shortchange our influence and our ability to shape events when that's the only tool we think we have in the toolbox.” ThinkingShouldHas BeensAbilityViewsInfluenceMilitaryEventsShapesToolsConsistentBroadsUnderestimateMilitary PowerToolboxAmerican Power Author:Barack Obama